Achy-Breaky
Features: This trail is similar to other rock-crawling trails inside Stoddard Valley OHV Area. The 54,679-acre park is open to cross-country travel for all off-road vehicles. Elevations range from 2,800 to 5,000 feet. The trail circles around the base of Watkins Peak, weaving in and out of numerous side canyons. Some good views from high points along the route but most of the trip is not scenic. I drove this trail on Memorial Day weekend as part of the annual High Desert Roundup sponsored by the California Association of 4-Wheel Drive Clubs. Hundreds of RVs show up for the event. Over a hundred 4x4s participated in the single-day, Achy-Breaky run. (Please watch out for Desert Tortoises. Do not pick up or harass.)
Difficulty: Difficult. Menacing desert terrain with numerous steep, rocky climbs. Large, sharp rocks require tight maneuvering, increasing the likelihood of tire damage. High clearance, skid plates and differential lockers required. No stock vehicles. A complex network of poorly defined roads makes route-finding very difficult. Even with GPS, you will likely make some wrong turns. Very hot in summer. Carry plenty of water. Never drive this trail alone.
Time & Distance: Allow 4 to 5 hours with a small group of well-equipped vehicles. With more vehicles. allow a full day. The loop is just 6.2 miles.
To Get There: From Barstow, head south on Barstow Road (Hwy, 247) approximately 4.7 miles. Turn right on Stoddard Wells Road into the Stoddard Valley OHV Area. You'll see a brown information kiosk after you tum. After a half mile, the road swings left and heads south/southwest. You'll reach the crest of a hill in another 3 miles. Tum left at the top of the hill onto an unmarked dirt road. (Base camp for the High Desert Roundup was another mile down the road on the right. )
Trail Description: Reset odometer at the start (01). Before the first 10th of a mile, turn left downhill following a rocky cut at a convergence of roads. Before 0.2 miles tum right out of the cut and climb a steep hill. Drop down the other side into another rocky cut. Bear left downhill at 0.5 miles. After a sharp ledge, bear left again at 0.6 miles (02) where a road joins on the right. Later, you'll return to this spot. At 0.7 continue straight or bear right uphill to climb The Staircase, a big ledge that's harder than it looks.
At 0.8 miles (03), turn right, following a sandy wash. Tum left uphill out of the wash at 1.0 miles (04). This is an optional challenge. Climb a steep, loose hill, then tum right across a ridge and immediately drop back down into the wash at 1.3 miles (05). Don't turn when you get to the wash. Go another 30 feet across the wash then tum left on a lesser road. At 1.6 miles (06) turn right on a faint road. (There may not be any tracks at all.) Ignore crossroads until 1.7 miles (07) where you bear right and climb a small ridge. Make a left at 1.8 (08) and drop downhill across the face of a slope.
At 1.9 miles (09) tum right uphill in a narrow, rocky ravine. Traverse a tough obstacle at 2.1 miles or go around it. Climb a short ridge and drop down. After reaching a dramatic high point at 2.3 miles (10), bear left downhill. Bear right down a steep grade at 2.4. When you reach the bottom, tum right steeply uphill. Continue over the crest of another hill at 2.5 miles (11). At the bottom, tum right at 2.6 and follow another rocky cut. By 2.8 miles you should be able to see a couple of lonely telephone poles at the top of the hill. Continue uphill through sharp rock, a grueling test of tires. You may have to bypass one section and got very off-camber.
Bear left and follow a ridgeline at 3.0 miles (12). Bear right and drop down the ridge at 3.1 miles (13). Stay left in a cut then tum right uphill after 3.2 miles (14). At another ridge, tum left at a telephone pole following a two-track road. Bear left at 3.4 miles (15). Continue south as you go up and down hills. Turn right on a better road at the bottom of a big valley at 3.9 miles (16). Turn left downhi1l at 3.9+ then climb another hill. Head southwest until 4.2 miles (17) then bear right at a fork.
Make a right at 4.4 (18), following a sandy valley. Go straight at 4.6. Driver's choice at 4.8 miles (19) (right goes through the Rock Garden). I made a left downhill. Make a slight right at 5.0 miles (20). Turn left at the top of a knoll at 5.1. Stay on the main trail for about 30 feet, then make a hard right up a steep hill. Stay in a rocky cut for a while. Go the way water would flow. You can bypass a nasty spot at 5.6 miles (21) before running into a portion of the trail you were on at the beginning. Turn left at 5.8 miles (03) and follow the sandy wash back to Stoddard Wells Road at 6.2 miles (22).
Return Trip: Right takes you back to Highway 247. Left takes you on a long trip back to Interstate 15 near Victorville.
Services: In Barstow or Victorville. The Slash X Ranch Cafe, about 9 miles south of Barstow on Hwy. 247, is a popular gathering place with good food and drinks. For emergencies, use Channel 9 on a CB radio or try 911 on a cell phone. The Barstow BLM office is just south of 1-15 on Hwy. 247.
Maps: USGS 7.5-minute map Barstow SE, CA, 34117-GI-TF-024, DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer.
Source: Guide to Southern California Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails; see also Trails.com